One of the difficulties in optical coupling of the ends of optical fibers to each other is to avoid or reduce the back reflection at the junction between the ends of two optical fibers.
One of the methods to optically couple two optical fibers, while minimizing back reflections, is to square or dome the ends of two optical fibers and abut the ends against each other and place a gel, or other optical conducting substance, which has an index of refraction that matches the index of refraction of the optical fibers, between the two ends of the optical fibers. Unfortunately, in applications where an optical fiber has to be connected and disconnected the presence of a gel or liquid at the ends of the optical fibers not only hinders the connecting or disconnecting process but it is difficult to retain the optically conducting substance between the ends of the optical leads during the connection and disconnection process. Therefore, a connection and disconnection process using a substance between the ends of the optical fibers, although reducing the back reflection, is generally unsuitable for coupling optical fibers that need to be periodically coupled and decoupled from each other.
Another method to optically couple optical fibers is angle coupling where angle cut faces are placed in a parallel condition to each other. Angle coupling reduces the back reflection between the ends of two optical fibers. In this method one cuts the ends of each of two optical fibers at a “coupling angle” that is a cut across an optical fiber, at an acute angle with the acute angle such that a reflected optical signal from the optical fiber is directed outside the optical fiber to thereby minimize the effects of back reflection. The method of angle cutting the ends of the optical fibers to produce optical fibers each having an optical end face located at a “coupling angle” and then aligning the optical end faces in a parallel condition reduces the back reflection. Unfortunately, angle cutting the ends also requires one to rotate the optical fibers in order to align the optical faces in a parallel condition to each other. This method of angle coupling is effective in reducing back reflections as well as providing a method wherein the optical fibers can be quickly coupled and decoupled since there is no gel or other substance that needs to be maintained between the ends of the optical leads. However, the rotation of the optical leads to produce alignment of the end faces of the optical fibers can introduce twist or kinks into the optical fibers.
In order to rotationally align the optical faces during angle coupling one can key the ends of each of the connectors holding the optical fiber so that when the optical fibers are separated and brought together the angle cut faces of the optical fibers are automatically brought into a parallel condition to each other and thereby reduce the loss of an optical signal transmitted across the junction of the angle cut faces. Unfortunately, rotationally aligning the ends of the connectors by rotating one or the other or both of the optical fibers can introduce unwanted kinks and twists into the optical fibers as one rotates the optical fiber to bring the optical faces into an aligned condition.
The present invention provides a coupling apparatus for optical leads or optical fibers that allows one to quickly couple and decouple an optical lead and at the same time eliminate the problem of twisting of the optical leads as well as the problem of back reflection at the optical junctions. The present invention uses two optical couplers, one optical butt coupler that remains in a coupled but rotatable condition with minimized back reflections, and another angle optical coupler, that can be quickly coupled or decoupled with the butt coupler including a rotation joint that allows rotation of the optical fibers without introducing twists and kinks in the optical leads.